Apr 24, 2008 10:50 pm US/Eastern
Liberty City 6 Jury Foreman Speaks Out
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
They say the wheels of justice turn slowly. The jury foreman who saw his efforts end in the second mistrial for the so-called "Liberty City Six" says those wheels may grind to another halt down the road.
He responded to news that Miami federal prosecutors are pressing ahead for a third trial in this widely publicized terror conspiracy case by saying, "They are wasting time and money…unless they change the evidence or approach they might get another hung jury."
That jury foreman, who did not want to be identified, deliberated with his fellow jurors for nearly two weeks this month before deciding that their doubts and disagreements--over convictions or acquittals--were too wide to bridge.
The twelve jurors saw reels of secretly videotaped threats to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago.
They saw pledges of allegiance to Al-Qaeda elicited by an undercover FBI informant. None of it convinced them the defendants actually hatched a terror plot inside a Liberty City warehouse before their arrests in 2006.
The jury foreman recalled the boasts of alleged ringleader Narseal Batiste. "He kept saying he had soldiers and was ready, but there was no proof they were," the foreman told
CBS4's Michael Williams. "There were no weapons or blueprints..it was just a lot of talk."
The foreman says the federal jury came closest to a unanimous verdict to convict Batiste, but at least one juror insisted the defendants were victims of entrapment by investigators.
A few defendants, the jury foreman says, also came close to being acquitted but other jurors were equally opposed to that argument.
There was ongoing tension in the jury room as ordinary citizens grappled with evidence in a high-stakes case.
The foreman says you had "twelve grown adults and sometimes it got rowdy and arguments broke out."
He adds the jury did its best before deciding it was hopelessly deadlocked. That now adds up to two mistrials, which have produced one acquittal and growing frustration on all sides.
Federal prosecutors say the seriousness of the threats at the core of this case compel them to try again, but that may take awhile.
The next trial for the "Liberty City Six" is not likely to get underway until autumn, and possibly much later. Neither prosecutors nor defense lawyers are talking about what they will do differently the next time around.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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